Almost 80% of the time, or more, when I introduce myself, the question I often get asked is “Why is your name Pedro Chang?”
I usually respond by saying that I am not sure why. It’s my name!
Just kidding. I explain that I was born in Brazil and grew up in the United States, to which many people say, “That is cool!” But to be honest, it hasn’t been easy.
Growing up, I often felt too Latino to be Korean, and too Asian to be fully Latino. You could say I had an identity crisis! Add to that the fact that my family is outside of the norm; my parents were married for 10 years, divorced for 10 years, and are now back together for 25 years. My life has been anything but normal.
Despite these challenges, I now embrace my uniqueness almost like a superpower. This acceptance has helped me go on a journey of healing and self-discovery, which ultimately led me to realize something important: I’ve always loved tinkering with computers, and through this passion, I apply my own way of thinking to my everyday life!
This unique perspective has shaped many of my life choices. For instance, in 2017, I, by happenstance, read Goodbye, Things and was so inspired that I embarked on a journey to become an extreme minimalist for 2 years. During this time, I got rid of all my possessions, had only 20 pieces of clothing, and slept on a thin sleeping mattress. It was an amazing experience, and although I initially thought it would be a lifelong commitment, what it really gave me were valuable lessons about the importance of preventing things from “possessing” me.
As life evolved and I became a father, I could no longer maintain that extreme lifestyle. However, the core principles and methodologies continue to shape my everyday life. Consequently, you’ll likely notice these minimalist influences in how I write and how I set up my technology structures.
After all, as the saying goes, “If something is too complex to be used, then it’s unnecessary.”
With this philosophy in mind, I consistently use minimalism as my baseline method of applying tech, always seeking the elegant simplicity that comes from my unique cultural and personal journey.
